Hi,
I’m deciding between Vassar and Lehigh. They both offered similar financial aid packages. I’m thinking of majoring in environmental science (either policy or something in sustainable agriculture). I’m just super torn between both places, even though i understand they are very different. If I could visit and gauge the vibe I would be able to pick, but alas. So here I am asking for your opinions. Thank you!
I don’t know anything about Lehigh :(, but I can talk about Vassar. My daughter is a freshman at Vassar, at home now distance learning because of the pandemic. Environmental Policy was one of the many things she was interested in, but now she is gravitating more towards majoring in Political Science, and minoring in something else. D has been extremely happy with all aspects of Vassar. The academics (teaching, advising, support in terms of getting writing help and help from professors etc) have been outstanding. Classes are small, with a ton of reading, writing and a lot of discussion (she has only taken classes in the Humanities and Social Sciences so far). Socially, Vassar has been fantastic for her. While she is a bit of an introvert, she has been able to make several very close friends. She is actively involved in Drama (both as a class and in a student led theater group). Her experience is that Vassar students are inclusive, friendly, supportive and help each other out.
The food and the dorms are very good. They switched the food service vendor to Bon Appetit a couple of years ago, D says the food and the options are quite excellent. She hasn’t needed to go off campus much, except occasionally to the restaurants within walking distance in Arlington. She did go to NYC with friends a couple of times on day trips.
Vassar has been such a good experience for her that D was very disappointed when she learned that she could not return back to campus after Spring Break.
Both are great choices. I will be attending Vassar next year and have never visited Lehigh, but the social scene is different. There is no Greek like at vassar, while at Lehigh it is a big part. Athletics are also way bigger at Lehigh as their sports are d1. Vassar is d3 and has no football or ice hockey team. I’m not sure exactly where Lehigh is, but vassar is 2 hrs away by train to NYC and is relatively close.
There is a thread on CC about Lehigh from a student , hopefully that will give you some guidance.
Lehigh is about 2 hours west of NYC but much harder to get to the city from, no direct train.
This may seem off topic, but the Hudson valley is a very interesting place - especially for someone interested in sustainable agriculture. It’s a place where idealists go, and some of them start organic farms , while others become leaders on CSA (community supported agriculture) farms in the area. Some of those farms have summer internships available.
Produce from some of the farms winds up served at farm-to-table restaurants in Rhinebeck. It’s not unusual to find restaurants there run and staffed by graduates of the world renowned Culinary Institute across town in Poughkeepsie (technically in Hyde Park) from Vassar.
A great place to go to school.
Both great choices.
My son is a sophomore and current Environmental Studies major at Vassar. He just came back from a week long trip to Nebraska and Kansas with his environ. class (14 kids) on 3/15, and said it was one of the top 5 experiences he’s ever had.
As a parent, the education he’s receiving (yes, even online) is fantastic. They write. A lot. They read. A lot. And, Vassar teaches the kids how to think critically. Vassar has such a great way of integrating other classes into your major with their interdisciplinary approach. With their open curriculum, he’s had an opportunity to take classees just because they interest him, which has really been great for him to broaden his horizons. He’s taken some classes that I’ve been shocked to see him take, and he’s come away with a new understanding just for taking that leap - and Vassar strongly encourages taking courses outside your track. He has several people he can turn to for advisement (in fact, speaking to one today) and never feels like he’s without support.
Vibe? He describes it as artsy, academic and accepting. Vassar kids are very passionate. He’s also an athlete. The kids we’ve met and have had at our home are amazing, interesting people. He has a wide social circle of athletes and non- athletes. Vassar, in my opinion, is trying to shed some new light on their athletic programs which have begun to really shine the past couple of years, but clearly the art vibe is greater than the athletic vibe. He is also involved in a few environmental clubs/groups on campus and is also a student fellow (next year a House Student Advisor).
Poughkeepsie is a quick train ride (90 mins) into NYC. He’s done it a few times for concerts. He’s said it’s an easy uber. Arlington is a 2 min walk (maybe less) from campus. You can find Krafted Cup (a coffee shop) full of VC kids studying at any time.
He desperately misses his friends (they are literally from all over the world), and as the weather gets warmer I know he will miss hammocking - Vassar kids love to hammock in the trees on campus - haha.
Feel free to ask any other questions, and good luck with your decision!!!
Thank you for your super in depth answer. Does he find the small student body size to be an issue?
@001011101 No, not really. He actually likes having the small classes, feels he has a very close relationship with his professors. That said, there’s no sneaking out in a lecture - haha.
As far as campus size? He does wish there were more kids, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s happy about where he is. It’s a trade off, but most of the schools he was looking at were in the 2500-3000 student range anyway. In talking with him, he really appreciates the close relationship he has with his professors and he has close friendships with kids from all classes. He knows he wouldn’t necessarily have that at a larger school, but sometimes he does wish it was a little bigger. He did say he wouldn’t change his choice at all.
Hope that helps!
With respect to the policy aspects of environmental science, Vassar’s economics department places an impressive first among U.S. liberal arts colleges in environmental economics by faculty publishing (followed by Williams, Hamilton and Wesleyan, for perspective): https://ideas.repec.org/top/top.env.html. (See #186.)
Regarding Vassar generally, it tends to be highly recognized: